


Novum Arces

by CompleteParadox



Series: Novum Arces (Wing AU) [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Wings, Human Disaster Anakin Skywalker, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Wingfic, he's doing his best
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 12:01:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29683662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CompleteParadox/pseuds/CompleteParadox
Summary: Reaching out, Anakin brushed his fingers over the strange markings, eyes widening as they started to glow brighter until he had to hold up a hand to avoid being blinded.Vaguely he realised that Ahsoka was calling his name, she might have been distressed but he couldn’t tell, it was almost as if he was hearing her underwater. Her voice was so distorted that he couldn’t even be sure that she was in fact calling him. The last thing he felt before blacking out was the sensation of a huge weight settling over his back.--AKA Anakin touches something he shouldn't and now has to deal with the consequences.
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Series: Novum Arces (Wing AU) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2181288
Comments: 29
Kudos: 62





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a Clone Wars AU set sometimes after 4x4 and the battle of Mon Cala. After returning to Coruscant, the 501st and 212th legions are sent to the planet Jendifuun to retrieve an artefact that could potentially bring about the end of the war.

He was going to make it. Obi-Wan hadn’t commed him that long ago had he? Picking up the pace of his steps, Anakin dodged past troopers and weaved his way through the ship’s halls.

Striding into the meeting room, Anakin huffed slightly upon realising that everybody was already gathered. Nope, of course he was late.

“Ah Anakin,” Obi-Wan said, his voice entirely too smug as he raised an eyebrow, “Nice of you to join us.”

“Yeah yeah, I’m here now, let’s just get started already.” Shaking his head, Obi-Wan addressed the crowd of orange and blue troopers in front of him while Anakin moved to stand next to his padawan, Ahsoka elbowing him playfully.

“We have been sent to locate an artefact on the planet Jendifunn. Supposedly it should give us vital information on how to defeat the Separatist army. Something we could always use, as I’m sure you all know by this point.” Around him, clones nodded vehemently and Anakin found himself nodding with them.

This war had been going on for far too long now, it was getting ridiculous if he was being honest. He barely got to spend any time with Padme anymore, resorting to hologram meetings where nobody would be able to bother them or discover their true relationship. He just wanted to be with his wife yet the war seemed intent on dragging them away from one another.

Quite frankly, he was exhausted and if this artefact would help end the war, he was all for locating it.

In the end, the journey to Jendifunn took only a few days yet Anakin found himself unable to relax during this time. Instead he remained in a state of fitful unrest, oftentimes finding himself fidgeting with some piece of machinery to distract from the feeling of unease echoing through the force.

Perhaps it was just his jittery excitement at the idea of an end to the war keeping him awake? Or maybe it was his nerves getting the better of him. No matter how he tried to justify it, Anakin simply couldn’t shake the idea that this mission would end up being something big.

  


* * *

  


Touching down on the planet, Anakin groaned upon realising sand was the only sight for miles. “Great.” He muttered sarcastically, cringing slightly as he stepped onto the grainy landscape. The sooner they could get this mission over, the better.

“Obi-Wan, where exactly are we supposed to find an artefact here? All I see is sand.” He questioned, spitting the last word as if it was venom.

“Patience padawan,” Obi-Wan replied while Anakin muttered a quick “Not your padawan” under his breath, though by now he knew it was in vain. “There should be a cave not far from here that our artefact should be held within, if our sources are to be trusted of course.”

Kicking the sand, in a very mature and not at all childish manner, Anakin looked over to see Ahsoka chatting to Rex and Cody as the two clones sorted through their men. 

Making her way towards the two other Jedi, Ahsoka grinned sharply, looking far too entertained considering the situation they were in. “Master, isn’t this place great?” Her tone was practically dripping with sarcastic teasing. “I mean really, look at all this course, rough sand.” Beside him, Obi-Wan turned away to hide his amused look.

His hatred for sand was hardly a secret, especially considering how much he complained about it. “Very funny padawan.” He huffed, though couldn’t help his small smile. She deserved to have some form of amusement in this war, even if it was directed towards his hatred of a certain landscape.

Overhead the sun blazed down in its uncaring demeanor, heedless of those on the planet’s surface as they trekked through the waves of blistering, shifting sand. Squinting, Anakin realised that a new image was appearing in the distance.

A cave.

Walking faster now, the Jedi Knight ignored the sand sinking into his boots and instead focused on the cave that could potentially house their artefact. Behind him, clone troopers made small noises of relief as they too spotted the cave.

Coming to the mouth of the tunnel, the Jedi made quick work to separate the clones into groups, one small group guarding the outside of the cave and a larger group working with them to find their supposed artefact. 

‘Hopefully,’ Anakin thought to himself, ‘Bringing more men should mean we can locate this thing sooner and get off this kriffing sand-ridden planet. At this rate I’ll be finding sand in my clothes for the next year.’

Finally, after what felt like hours of stumbling through the main tunnel, searching diligently for any signs of the supposed artefact, the group came to a stop at a large opening in the cave. Ahead of them, ten tunnels opened up, each spiralling into a dark unknown.

“Ok, looks like we’re gonna be splitting up.” Anakin said, pivoting on his heels to address the troops.

“Rex, Fives you two take the first tunnel. Jesse and Tup to the next-” He continued to list teams, assigning them all a tunnel until he got to the final one, pointing towards his padawan. “Ahsoka, you’re with me.”

With the instructions laid out before them, the troopers each paired up and moved into their given tunnel, disappearing into the depths within seconds.

Obi-Wan called out to him just as he and Ahsoka started towards the furthest tunnel, “Anakin, please do be careful.” The man sighed, exhaustion clear in his tone.

“When am I not.” He grinned cheekily while Ahsoka threw her hands up in a ‘what can you do’ gesture. Obi-Wan merely shook his head before turning to Cody, the two making their way to their assigned tunnel. 

After a moment of silently following the path ahead of them, the soft sound of their footsteps the only audible noise, Ahsoka spoke up.

“So, this artefact,” She began, “What exactly does it look like?”

“Your guess is as good as mine Snips.” He responded with a shrug. “The Council, as usual, refrained from telling me the details. All I know is that we ‘should be able to spot it from a mile away’”. He rolled his eyes at that. It was so typical of the Council to dismiss him like that.

While they hadn’t told Obi-Wan either, Anakin figured he was a member of the Council, surely he had to already know. They probably just hadn’t told him because they didn’t trust him. Scowling at the ground, Anakin roughly pushed those thoughts back.

Turning to look at his padawan, Anakin noted for the first time how dark the cave had become. Ahsoka would still be able to see clearly for a while due to her Togruta physiology, however he already found himself straining to make out the rocky ground ahead of him. 

Unclipping his lightsaber, Anakin ignited it, drawing a questioning look from the Togruta at his side as she tried to sense any potential danger.

“Don’t worry Snips, just getting a bit dark in here, that’s all.” He forced himself to sound nonchalant about it, trying his best to ignore the slightly amused look on Ahsoka’s face. 

Yet, despite her expression and quiet mirth, Ahsoka wordlessly ignited her own lightsabers, their glow adding to Anakin’s own and further lighting the way.

As the pair continued down the dark corridor, their lightsabers casting an almost eerie glow against the cave walls, they finally came to a halt as the tunnel’s path stopped directly in front of them. Rather, a small opening illuminated a smaller section of the cave, some sort of light source visible within. 

Upon entering, the two were met with the sight of brightly glowing intricate markings against the flat stone wall. 

“Wow.” Ahsoka whispered beside him, barely audible as she was, and Anakin found himself silently sharing the sentiment. It was a truly beautiful sight.

Stepping closer to the wall, Anakin peered at the markings. They didn’t seem to be a writing of any sort, nor did they resemble any drawings he had seen. Reaching out, Anakin brushed his fingers over the strange markings, eyes widening as they started to glow brighter until he had to hold up a hand to avoid being blinded.

Vaguely he realised that Ahsoka was calling his name, she might have been distressed but he couldn’t tell, it was almost as if he was hearing her underwater. Her voice was so distorted that he couldn’t even be sure that she was in fact calling him. The last thing he felt before blacking out was the sensation of a huge weight settling over his back.

  


* * *

  


Coming to, the first thing Anakin realised was that he was no longer in the caves on Jendifuun. Rather, he was in the Halls of Healing back at the Temple, which was strange given the fact that he couldn’t feel any pain. Looking up wearily, the second thing he realised was that he was laid on his stomach and there was some sort of weight holding him down.

Reaching back with a groan, his ungloved hand met with… feathers?

Now thoroughly confused, the Jedi Knight pushed himself into a sitting position. The weight wasn’t so bad that he had to strain to move, rather it was a weight that he simply wasn’t used to. Twisting around, he paused, unsure of what he was seeing, blinking a few times to confirm that he wasn’t still asleep.

Behind his shoulders were wings.

Cautiously stretching out the huge tawny appendages, Anakin took a moment to take it all in. Each feather was a golden-brown tone, streaked here and there with a darker shade, creating complex stripes running across the expanse of each wing. He had to admit, the pattern was beautiful but it very much did not belong on his shoulders.

Hesitantly lifting his left hand to the opposite wing, Anakin moved beneath the feathers, feeling warm muscle beneath. Taking in a shaky breath he concluded that they were in fact, very much connected to him.

The sound of a door opening distracted him from inspecting any further. “Knight Skywalker, it is good to see you awake though I really must recommend you lay back down.” Vokara Che stated plainly, the Twi’lek’s firm gaze narrowed in on him.

Rather than heeding her suggestion, Anakin instead sat up further, his mind buzzing with questions that threatened to spill out. “What happened? I don’t remember anything since… since the caves on Jendifuun. I don’t even remember getting back to Coruscant.” He muttered, confusion clearly laced through his tone.

“I imagine you wouldn’t, considering you have been unconscious for the past 72 hours and-”

“72 HOURS?!” Anakin shouted, cutting her off. “What have I missed?! Is Ahsoka ok? What about Obi-Wan? And my men?” As he rambled on, the healer made her way around to his bedside, a hand coming up to inspect the new wings, running her fingers over the humerus and down to where the feathers melded with skin causing him to jolt involuntarily.

“Your padawan and old master are both fine, as are the clone troopers. You were the only one to come back harmed in any way. Although I don’t suppose this could truly count as harm. Only a rather permanent change that you shall have to grow used to.”

Shaking the wings out, Anakin snapped out of his rambling in shock, only just catching her last sentence. Huffing out a breath of laughter, Anakin tucked the wings back as best he could, only getting them caught once before they folded back properly. 

“Sorry, for a second there I thought you said they were permanent.” His chuckling slowed to a stop and he felt his heart sink as the look in her eyes hardened.

“That’s exactly what I said Knight Skywalker.”

… Well kriff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if y'all have any suggestions or ideas, anything that you'd love to see next! I love hearing what people think about my writing so don't be shy!!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seriously cannot thank y’all enough for the love you’ve already given this fic!!! It was amazing to see your comments and hear what you think of it so far! So thank you so so much!

When Obi-Wan found out the wings were a permanent addition to his being, his only response was a tired “Why am I not surprised.” Complete with a slow shake of the head, “Only you Anakin, only you.” Before wandering off towards the Archives, muttering about recklessness and raised blood pressure levels. 

All in all, the interaction hadn’t been too bad, Anakin supposed. At least he wasn’t in trouble.

As it turned out, Ahsoka had been the one to drag him back from the caves, new wings and all. When he had touched the markings on the wall, he had passed out barely seconds afterwards and wings had suddenly sprouted from his back. 

The poor Togruta had to haul him back through the hole they had come through, already burdened with his usual weight, plus the added weight of heavily muscled wings. He was just glad she hadn’t snagged the feathers on any sharp rocks. He couldn’t imagine that would have ended well.

The thing was though, his padawan seemed to find it hilarious. She couldn’t stop watching the damn things, delighting in figuring out how they reacted to certain circumstances. Just the other day she had managed to sneak up on him, suddenly popping into view as he turned a corner causing his wings to flare out in panic even as he tried to school his expression into one of blankness. 

She’d even drawn up a kriffing chart.

Happy: Wings drawn back and held high, feathers settled.  
Content: Wings relaxed and held low, feathers settled.  
Sad: UNKNOWN  
Angry: UNKNOWN  
Surprised: Wings wide and held high, feathers puffed.  
Scared: UNKNOWN  
Further study required.

He’d attempted to erase the last line multiple times only to find it rewritten again and again. There really wasn’t any way to stop her either. Plus he had to admit, it was useful to know how he reacted to his emotions. If he could learn his ‘tells’ then perhaps he could also learn to cover them.

She also kept begging him to try flying and, while normally he loved the sensation of being in the air, he still wasn’t quite certain about how exactly to do that without crashing spectacularly. Something he wasn't sure his already damaged ego could take right now.

His meeting with the Jedi Council had been interesting to say the least. It had been filled with mixed reactions. Anakin noticed that some seemed amused, Fisto grinning eerily nearly the entire meeting, while others, Windu in particular, seemed unimpressed at best.

“Skywalker, what in the Force possessed you to touch a strange, unknown, glowing wall?”

“It looked cool.” He replied plainly, shrugging then frowning at the new sensation of the wings shifting with the movement. Yet another thing he’d have to get used to.

Apparently that wasn’t the answer the Jedi master had been looking for, if his appalled look was anything to go by. Add that to the fact his head was now resting in his hands as he took in Anakin’s reply and well… Anakin supposed Windu had never been his biggest fan anyway, what was another disappointment to him?

“Still lead the clone troopers, can you?” Yoda asked, peering inquisitively at him.

“Yes Master Yoda, I believe myself to still be fully capable in this war. I will just need to adjust to the wings, that’s all.” As far as he was concerned, nobody else was allowed to lead his men. Just the thought of somebody else acting as their general caused his wings to tense. They were his responsibility and he cared for each clone deeply.

Yoda nodded slowly before replying, “Remain a general, you will. But remain with General Kenobi and the 212th, you must.” Internally, Anakin groaned. It wasn’t that he didn’t like teaming up with his old master, more so that it showed the council’s lack of trust in him. 

Frustrated, but knowing there was nothing he could do, Anakin bowed and acknowledged the order. “Yes Master Yoda.” With the situation sorted, Anakin was finally allowed to see his men again.

Speaking of The 501st, the legion had been another mixed bag. Ahsoka had been more than happy to show the clones their ‘new and improved’ general, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she grinned almost manically. She really was finding this far too amusing for her own good. 

When Rex had first seen the wings, he had paused before walking straight out of the room again. Anakin didn’t see him again until the next day when the captain had come back to him with a rulebook containing flying maneuvers he wasn’t allowed to attempt for the sake of Rex’s sanity. 

On the other hand, Hardcase had been more than happy to encourage dangerous maneuvers. He’d even suggested a few of his favourite ideas which, Anakin had to admit, had certainly piqued his interest. Once he learned how to fly properly he planned to take the clone and spread chaos wherever they went. It would be great.

Of course, Fives had readily joined in on Hardcase’s plans once he heard about what was happening. The 501st learned to be on guard at all times around the trio. One could never be sure what would happen. Though explosions were usually pretty high on the list of ‘things expected to happen when Anakin, Hardcase and Fives get together’. 

Poor Kix looked as if he might have an aneurysm from the new potential for injury alone. When he next saw the medic, he was holding a Holopad on wing anatomy, scrawling notes and murmuring under his breath. Anakin almost felt bad for the man.

Overall, the legion had reacted surprisingly well considering the circumstances. Then again, it was also his legion and Anakin supposed they had simply become used to his many misfortunes. He couldn’t decide if that was a good or bad thing.

  


* * *

  


When Anakin, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka entered the Senate building they received more than a few stares. Each politician seemed unable to draw their eyes away from the new wings attached to Anakin, causing him to fold them further against his body, pressing them as tightly against his back as he could to try make them less prominent.

Thankfully it didn’t take too long for them to find the senator they were after. Anakin couldn’t help his smile at seeing Padme, she was in one of her more complex outfits that looked like it took hours to even get into and sporting a hairstyle that probably took even longer.

Upon seeing him, Padme gave her usual warm smile yet that quickly changed to surprise then confusion when she noticed the wings. Coming to a stop in front of her, the three Jedi kept their greetings formal, bowing their heads towards her in respect.

“Senator Amidala.” Obi-Wan greeted, “The council has sent us to-” Anakin found himself losing focus on Obi-Wan’s voice, instead watching Padme as she listened attentively, despite her eyes occasionally flicking back to him.

He could have sworn she grew more beautiful each day, though how she managed it he had no idea. She was already the most beautiful woman he had ever known, right from the moment he had met her. 

She currently had that cute expression she got when she was trying to take in new information. It would have been barely visible to anybody else, yet he noticed the tiniest little scrunch to her nose, her eyebrows pinched slightly and her mouth set in a firm line.

Behind him, Anakin could hear Ahsoka trying to cover laughter, something that had become far too common. She usually made that noise whenever she had discovered something new about his wings and so, with a sigh, he turned over his shoulder to see what was happening.

Sure enough, his wings weren’t lying flat against his back as he had previously arranged them. Instead the feathers had puffed up and the wings had opened slightly, making him appear bigger than he already was.

“Master,” Ahsoka whispered conspiratorially behind him, “Are you showing off?”

Leaning to her level he shot a whisper back, “Snips, if I knew what I was doing do you really think I would be doing it?”

Just as his padawan moved to quip back at him, Padme’s voice caught his attention. “Knight Skywalker, if I might have a word?” Immediately standing up straight, Anakin gave Obi-Wan and Ahsoka a stiff nod before he was dragged away by the senator. 

Once they were within the, relatively private, safety of her office, Padme was instantly moving around to his back, inspecting the wings with cautious touches. Eyelids fluttering shut, Anakin spread the wings slowly until they spanned to their full size, feathers quivering slightly.

“I expect you to tell me everything tonight, and don’t think you can get away with not telling me. We will be having a conversation about this” Padme said, her voice leaving no room for argument as she moved away from him. Wings snapping shut, Anakin looked up in surprise once he realised she was no longer touching the feathers. 

Striding over to her desk, the Jedi leaned down and gently kissed her forehead, trying his best to not ruin her intricate hairstyle. “Until tonight then.” He said softly against her.

  


* * *

  


When nightfall came, Anakin found himself in a familiar position, sneaking away from the Jedi Temple and making his way to Padme’s apartment. Upon entering and seeing her waiting in the lounge room, Anakin raised a hand and quickly managed to get out, “Ok so I want to start by saying it’s not completely my fault.” 

Padme’s only response was an unimpressed eyebrow raise and arms folded over her chest.

“Ok so maybe it is my fault.” He concluded, to which she responded with a light hum of what could have been agreeance.

“How did it happen?”

“I uh, I may have sort of touched an ancient artefact.” He at least had the decency to look sheepish, a hand coming up to rub the back of his neck nervously.

“Ani…” Her look of disbelief greeted him when he managed to meet her dark eyes.

“I was just curious and then one thing led to another you know?” Shaking her head, Padme couldn’t help but smile exasperatedly at her husband’s antics. Of course this sort of thing would happen to him.

Getting up from the lounge, Padme took his hand and walked him to their bedroom. Once there, she moved to her mirror, unclipping her hair and letting the curls tumble over her shoulders in waves. 

With a sigh, Anakin flopped back against their bed, letting his limbs splay out against the mattress. Of course with his additional appendages that meant the bed now had no spaces free. 

“Looks like the bed’s taken.” Anakin said with a smirk, his arms coming up to cushion his head as he stretched his wings out.

Standing at the foot of the bed, Padme made a quick decision, crawling on top of him and settling over his torso. “I’m sure I can make some room.” She responded coyly. Gently placing her hands against the lower section of his wings, she combed her fingers through the soft feathers, earning a small noise of adoration from Anakin.

“I didn’t say it before but they are gorgeous Ani.” She spoke softly, almost reverentially. 

Loosely, Anakin wrapped his arms around her, holding her close and revelling in the moment. It was so rare that he got to just hold his wife lately. Before the war these times had seemed scarce, now they seemed almost nonexistent.

Lifting his wings, Anakin wrapped them around her as his arms currently were. Rolling onto his side, he rested his chin atop her head, breathing in the scent of her fancy Nubian shampoo.

Tucking herself against his larger frame, Padme murmured sleepily against Anakin’s chest, “Actually… I could get used to this.” As she drifted to sleep against him, her fingers loosely wound into his secondary feathers, Anakin found himself silently echoing the statement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Padme is morosexual and Anakin is a himbo, you can’t convince me otherwise.  
> As always, leave a comment letting me know what you think, what you wanna see, etc! It really does make my day seeing y'alls opinions


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> flight time babeeyyyyy
> 
> also I haven't checked through this so if you see any mistakes feel free to let me know lmao

As it turns out, sleeping on a wing isn’t such a great idea. Waking up, Anakin hissed and wriggled his way out of the bed as pins and needles shot through the wing that had been underneath his wife. 

Shaking it out, he winced at the limp sensation covering the appendage. He just hoped that it would return to normal before he had to be back at the Jedi Temple. The idea of having to face Obi-Wan and Ahsoka with one limp wing wasn’t an appealing one.

Stumbling to the kitchen, Anakin started the heart-achingly familiar process of preparing breakfast. He pushed the longing aside; he got to do this as a treat, why should he care if this couldn’t be his every morning? 

Throwing the pancake mixture into the frypan, the Jedi began chopping pieces of fruit, startling slightly when he felt arms wrap around his middle and a face pressing between his shoulder blades into the feathers.

“Morning angel.” The only response he got in return was a sleepy grunt. Stifling a laugh, Anakin continued to prepare the meal. By now he was well aware of how long it took his wife to wake properly. 

Reaching for the cup of caf he had made earlier, Anakin passed it behind him as Padme reached out with grabby hands.

Breakfast was always a quiet affair. Not that it was uncomfortable however. Rather, it was simply the ways things were, the way they had been for as long as the two had been married. Yet it couldn’t last. He needed to be back at the Temple and Padme had her own senatorial duties to deal with.

As much as he longed for a day where the two of them could act like an actual husband and wife, he knew that it wasn’t to be. Before leaving, Anakin pressed a kiss to Padme’s forehead, too wary of accidentally getting lipstick on himself; that had been a learning lesson in itself. 

Sneaking back to the Temple had never been easy. Now with wings, it seemed to be a hundred times harder. Keeping them pressed tightly against his back, Anakin slunk through the many halls with his robe’s hood pulled down, although he now realised that it would do nothing to hide his identity. 

Yet somehow, miraculously, he managed to get back to his and Ahsoka’s shared room with little outside interaction.

“Alright Sky Guy, today is the day!” He was barely through the door before he was confronted with the sight of one very determined looking Togruta. Ahsoka stood with her hands on her hips, playfully glaring at him as he shuffled back awkwardly.

“Uh, and what exactly would today be the day for?” He questioned, slightly afraid of the answer.

“To try flying of course!” She exclaimed, throwing her hands up in defeat, as if she couldn’t believe he hadn’t guessed that.

And while there was a voice in his head desperately telling him to try flying, another lesser known voice was screaming at him about the dangers it could pose. Ah, his voice of reason. He did wonder where it went… And now it was time to say goodbye to it again. 

“Alright, you get Fives and Hardcase, they’ll wanna be here for it.” He stated, already turning on his heels as he tried to figure out what the highest part of the Temple was.

  


* * *

  


“I believe in you Master!” Ahsoka called from below, giving him a thumbs up even as he leaned cautiously over the edge of the building. Fives and Hardcase were positioned on either side of her, both of them looking far too giddy for what was about to happen. Feathers fluttering in the breeze, Anakin drew in a deep breath.

“Ok, no worries. Just gonna jump off this building. I jump off buildings all the time.” He muttered to himself, trying desperately to justify what he was about to do. “Just gonna fly… Using my new wings… That I’ve never used before...“ Processing that thought, he pulled himself back from the ledge before groaning and spreading his wings to their full span.

Looking below once more he could now see that Obi-Wan and Cody had joined the steadily growing group below. His poor old master looked like he was about to have a heart attack while Cody seemed to be reassuring the man.

“If this doesn’t work, I’ve just gotta hope that the Force will catch me.” He reasoned to himself. And so, without any further thought, Anakin threw himself off the roof.

With his wings spread and the air rushing past him at rapidly growing speeds, Anakin beat the wings hard, accidentally flipping himself upside down in the process as one wing moved more than the other. Feeling panic rising, he twisted in the air as the ground rushed closer and closer.

Just as he thought he would splatter against the concrete, Anakin suddenly managed to right himself, his shoulders rolling back as his wings worked with the wind. Beating them against the air current, he realised with a start that he was rising rather than falling.

Laughing, both with relief and amazement, Anakin flew straight up until the group below became dots, barely able to be seen.

Sending himself into a dive, he realised that flying with his own wings was much the same as flying a ship. It required the same maneuvers, the same subtle shifts in direction and speed. 

Swooping in a loop, Anakin could see Fives, Hardcase and Ahsoka laughing and cheering while Obi-Wan looked thoroughly _done_. Cody was standing with Rex, who must have appeared right as he had jumped, and looking extremely relieved that his general hadn’t grown wings.

Hovering among the clouds, Anakin closed his eyes and just breathed, allowing the Force to flow through him. He realised that this was probably the closest he’d ever come to meditating. Normally it felt as if his mind was being pushed and shoved in every direction, unable to stop and focus, yet here in the air he felt truly content.

After a few minutes of simply being in the air, Anakin decided he had better ground himself again before everyone started to freak out.

Landing with a slight stumble, Anakin found that he couldn’t seem to wipe the smile from his face. With his wings still quivering slightly, he folded them against his back as Ahsoka, Fives and Hardcase came barrelling towards him.

“General! That was amazing!”  
“Seriously Sky Guy what the hell, that was awesome!”  
“Gotta say sir, for a second there I was a bit worried but once you actually started flying! Wow!”

As the three continued to talk over each other, Anakin gave Obi-Wan a small thumbs up, hoping to reassure the man that all was well. A fond eye roll was the response as well as a thought sent across their, still remaining, training bond.

_“Well done Anakin, that was very impressive. I’m proud of you.”_

Of course there had to be a downside to everything. That downside with his new wings turned out to be the shift in balance. Settling into a familiar Djem So routine, Anakin realised with annoyance that every movement was off. Too slow or too jerky or sometimes even a bit of both.

Thankfully, the only other person in the training rooms was Obi-Wan. As it was, he simply stood on the sidelines and watched, a hand stroking his beard as he took note of Anakin’s stance. Trying once more, Anakin growled under his breath when once more the wings threw off his balance.

“Everytime I move they just get in the way.” He complained, shifting his body this way and that in an attempt to balance himself. From the sidelines, Obi-Wan hummed in thought.

“Perhaps if you try incorporating them you might have better luck?” He suggested, moving over to Anakin's side and igniting his own saber. He then started an adjusted form of Djem So, moving with just as much power as the form normally held yet also arcing his swings, mimicking where wings would be on his own body.

Watching carefully, Anakin kept his eyes on Obi-Wan as his old master finished the routine. Taking his stance again, Anakin ignited his lightsaber as he flared his wings out behind him. Rather than treating them as an obstacle this time however, he instead kept them in the line of his movements, arching up with each upward strike and swooping out with each dodge.

Finally, he beat the wings down hard so that he was hovering above the ground before bringing the saber down with a powerful strike, swinging out in front of his body fast enough that the air whipped and cracked around him.

Breathing heavily but feeling more satisfied than he had since he got the wings, Anakin twirled the saber once in a basic front spin. Turning to face Obi-Wan.

“Care to duel Master?” He questioned with a smirk, even as the man readied his own preferred Soresu form. Lightsabers met in a clashing of light as the two lunged toward each other, matched move for move. It felt like things were finally returning to normal.

  


* * *

  


It had been exactly one week since he had learned how to fly and Anakin had grown restless. He spent half of his time training, relearning his saber forms and adjusting as needed while the other half of the time was spent arguing with the council about when he could go on missions again.

It was like they didn’t believe him. He said he could fight and they cautioned him with patience. He had even offered to show them a duel to prove his skills yet that had been shot down faster than he could blink. Now he sat in the middle of his living room, droid parts scattered all around him as he worked away on bits and pieces of scrap. 

The chime of a communicator, however, caught his attention. Quickly answering it, Anakin mentally groaned once he saw the image of Mace Windu appear.

“Skywalker, the council has decided that you are ready for a new mission. Should you be ready to accept it, that is.” Windu said, an eyebrow raised in question.

“Of course!” Anakin replied, almost too quickly, before he caught himself and returned to being a calm and reserved Jedi Knight, hands tucked into his robe sleeves and expression blank. “I would be honoured, Master Windu.” He bowed deeply.

“You and your padawan will be guarding a very important senator. I have sent you the details, be sure that I don’t regret giving you this so soon after your... incident.” With that said and done, the Jedi Master cut off communications leaving Anakin in the silence of his room.

He... He had a mission! Finally after what felt like eons of waiting he could finally go out again! After Windu hung up, Anakin eagerly searched through the mission details, though he stopped short once he read who it was he was supposed to be guarding.

“Huh.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, let me know your thoughts and opinions!!  
> kudos are always appreciated!!
> 
> also a side note; next chapter may be a little late due to uni stuff but it shouldn't be too late hopefully


End file.
